Increasingly, video entertainment, such as movies and television shows, is delivered to users on demand over digital networks. In addition, the distribution of content has expanded to include user devices, such as smart phones. These user devices have the ability to interface with content delivery systems and to output video and other content to users and various output devices. However, because of the need for mobility, the output capabilities of user devices are necessarily limited. Therefore, it is desirable to direct content streams associated with a user device to televisions or home theater systems.
Systems and methods currently available include those that involve establishing a dedicated connection between a user device and an output device. However, such dedicated connections can be limited by controls put in place by digital rights management systems. In addition, where multiple output devices are potentially available in the vicinity of the user device, selecting and using an appropriate output device can become problematic, particularly in a hotel or other hospitality or Multiple Dwelling Unit setting.
Further, in many hospitality settings, there is a desire to provide entertainment services to guests using applications and devices that are familiar to guests. Accordingly, making such entertainment services, such as Netflix® for example, available to the guest has proved to be difficult while maintaining security and implementing device isolation, which prevents user devices from discovering other devices. For example, Wi-Fi clients may be restricted from seeing other Wi-Fi devices. A requirement of device isolation thus conflicts with the desire to allow a user device to discover and make use of other Wi-Fi devices in the vicinity of the user device and further allow a user to do so using video entertainment applications familiar to the user. In addition, previous systems have lacked a way to connect devices on different sub-networks or nodes.